• am
  • ru
  • en
print version
03.09.2012

THE GROUNDS OF INTER-CONFESSIONAL COOPERATION IN THE DIASPORA

EnglishРуский

   

Arestakes Simavoryan, Vahram Hovyan

A.Simavoryan - Head of the Center for the Armenian Studies, “Noravank” Foundation
V.Hovyan - Expert at the Center for the Armenian Studies, “Noravank” Foundation

One of the main goals of the study of the different confessional segments of the Armeniancy is the revelation of the efficient mechanisms of consolidation of the national potential. The issue is particularly topical for the Diaspora which demands consolidation of nationwide efforts to face the challenges. Creation of the environment of the efficient cooperation between the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical Churches in the Armenian communities abroad is marginal for the preservation and development of those communities.

It is supposed that elaboration and implementation of efficient ways of inter-confessional cooperation should be based on the development of the theoretical-ideological and practical grounds which provide integration of different confessional strata of the Armeniancy abroad. Correspondingly, it is reasonable to consider the issue in theoretical-ideological and practical aspects.

Theoretical-Ideological Grounds of the Cooperation

In theoretical-ideological plane the issue supposes putting forward and development of the grounds which provide peaceful coexistence of different confessional strata of the Armeniancy. Observations come to prove that such consolidating theoretical-ideological grounds are:

  • High level of national self-consciousness
  • Common Christian religion
  • Secularism

Increasing national self-consciousness. One of the crucial positive mechanisms of forming an atmosphere of religious tolerance in the modern world is increasing national self-consciousness of different religious and confessional segments of the same ethnic or national group1. The latter supposes increasing common ethnic self-consciousness instead of religious and confessional one, in other words the Armenian Apostolics, Catholics and Evangelicals should first of all consider themselves Armenians and not Apostolics, Catholics and Evangelicals. Two steps should be taken to provide it:

1. Separation of the notions of “nation” and “religious confession”. Back in the 19the century celebrated Armenian thinker, publicist S. Nazaryants put forward an idea of separation notions of “religion” and “nation”. “Religion and nationality are not the same. …Nationality is of secular character; meanwhile religion directly deals with human conscience and God. So the Apostolic, Catholic and Protestant Armenians are blood brothers, sons of one nation, bearers of the same language, and inheritors of the same national history… Armenians can always differ by their religion and it does not make any harm to the nationality. …The nation belongs to the Apostolic, Catholic and Protestant Armenians to the same extent”2.

2. Prevalence of the national component over the religious one. The idea of prevalence of the national component over the religious one was also put forward back in the 19th century, alongside with the establishment of the Catholic and Evangelical communities. Its main goal was to soften division of the Armenians to the Apostolics, Catholics and Evangelicals and conflicts which appeared on that ground. The celebrated Armenian writer Raffi speaking about the relations between national and religious components mentions: “…The variety of the confessions does not affect national unity. The unity should be searched in the harmony of these components and the key note idea of that harmony should be nationality in its highest intention”3.

In this aspect in our days in the theoretical and ideological planes the activity of mass media and other means of propaganda should rather emphasise national than religious component. The promotion of the idea of common national identity, sidelining the confessional affiliation in the self-identification of a person, may serve as a serious ground for softening confessional contradictions between Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical Armenians. This would seriously promote consolidation on the national basis of different segments of the Armeniancy which have been splitted on the confessional grounds.

Increasing common religious – Christian – self-consciousness. Another mean of providing religious tolerance is promotion of the consciousness of common religious belonging4. This supposes prevalence of the religious (in this case Christian) identity, which should be of marginal significance, over the confessional one. Back in the 1820s the preachers of Basel congregation who spread a missionary activity in the Russian Empire, according to the Evangelicals, pursued the aim rather to spend the Gospel than to convert to other confession, because: “…no matter to which Church a person adhere, he will be saved if he gives his heart to a God”5.

In the aspect of prevalence of the religious commonality over the confessional differences the Armenian communities in the Middles East are exemplary. E.g. in the Armenian community in Syria the consolidation of the Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical Armenians is explained by the pastor of the Armenian Evangelical Church, Rev. Tatev Pasmachian in the following way: “It is important to be a Christian Armenian. …In the end when we all face God, he will not ask whether you were Evangelical or Apostolic”6.

Sidelining of the confessional differences is more efficient when combination of national and religious commonalities is put forward, when the components of both national and religious identity are becoming more paramount in the self-perception of a person. “An Apostolic Armenian who becomes a Protestant still remains our brother on both national and Christian levels – on the national level because Armenian who becomes a Protestant does not change his blood, and on the Christian level because Jesus Christ belongs to both a Protestant and to an Apostolic”7.

Secularism. Taking advantage of the fact that secularism, which is widespread today sidelines religious and confessional issues as compared with worldly affairs, softens tension and possibilities of collision on these grounds, it is necessary to promote creation and establishment of the secular institutes in the communities of the Armenian Diaspora as an instrument of national solidarity. The latter as national (nationwide) institutions will include all segments of the Armeniancy, thus becoming an efficient means of consolidation.

Such secular institutions may be traditional Armenian political parties in Diaspora (ARFD, Social Democrat Hnchakian Party, Armenian Democratic Liberal Party Ramkavar), benevolent organizations (AGBU, ARF. etc.), sports and cultural unions (Armenian General Union of Body Culture, Hamazkayin – Armenian Educational and Cultural Society), community organizations (comities, etc), educational facilities, mass media, etc. The experience shows that all the Armenians, despite their confessional affiliations, are involved in the activity of these bodies. At the same time their activity is spread over all the Armenians without taking into consideration their confessional belonging. These circumstances serve as a serious ground for bringing Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical Armenians to the common field of activity and including them in one integral whole based on national grounds. According to Hakob Cholakian, once the activity of the Armenian parties in the Armenian community in Syria, including all segments of the Armeniancy, greatly promoted the uplift of the general national self-consciousness. “The first was SDHP that awakened national consciousness among the people of same village who were separated and unfriendly towards each other because of the confessional issues. In those villages the Apostolic priest, Catholic priest, Protestant preacher and reverend and even foreign priest of the Roman Catholic Church were the members of the same party…”8.

As for the educational facilities, once Raffi mentioned: “…It is time to set a school as a new connection between us representatives of our nation who were estranged; a place where Armenian Catholics, Armenian Protestants, Armenian Muslims will be baptized by a new spirit and new life and called the name of nationality”9. E.g. in 1910 in Kesab at the initiative of young people of different confessions Educational Union of Kesab was established; it took a decision to “make the nationality and not the confession a cornerstone of the education, unite all the schools in the villages and estrange confessional authorities from managing education”10.

Among the secular institutions which activity is uniting different confessional segments of the Armeniancy, a key role should be taken by the Republic of Armenia. The Republic of Armenia, as a state of all the Armenians, must spread its functions not only over the main segment of the Armeniacy – Apostolic Armenians, but also over other confessional segments (Catholics and Evangelicals). The Armenian embassies in other countries should involve in their activity not only Armenian Apostolics but also Catholics and Evangelicals. In this aspect the Armenian embassy in Syria may serve as an example; it invites to the organized events both Armenian Apostolic and Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. In other words the embassy tends to unite, consolidate community under the Armenian flag, Motherland, Armeniancy”11.

Practical Grounds for Cooperation

As for the practical ways of consolidation of different confessional segments of the Armenian communities in Diaspora, the main issue is to push forward and pinpoint the spheres of life which provide wide cooperation between the representatives of the Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical communities. “Our prayer is the same, our struggle, challenges are the same…”12. This appeal of one of today’s most distinguished figures of the Armenian Catholic Church Abbot Andranik Kranyan is the best formula for bringing Armenian Apostolics, Catholics and Evangelicals to the field of cooperation. The cooperation between different confessional segments of the Armenian Diaspora, in which their organic integrity is demonstrated, should be based on common goals and solution of common problems.

The main spheres which may serve as grounds for the cooperation between different confessional segments of the Armeniancy in Diaspora are:

  • Preservation of the Armenian language and culture;
  • Facing the challenges conditioned by the social and political environment of a given country;
  • Struggle for the solution of the nationwide issues (international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh issue, etc.).

Preservation of the Armenian language and culture. The threat of assimilation hangs as a sword of Damocles over all the communities of the Diaspora. Armeniancy living abroad fast or slowly integrates into the social and cultural environment which is painfully accompanied by the loss of the components of national identity – language, national cultural communication and national self-consciousness. Correspondingly, preservation of the ethnic and national image of the Armenian communities demands pulling together nationwide efforts around the common goal, which, among others, supposes cooperation of Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical Armenians in the spheres of education (preservation of the language), culture, etc. H. Cholakian while speaking about the situation in the late 19th century mentioned that the issue of education and upbringing had been topical “...for all the Armenians despite the fact to which community they belonged”13.

Facing the challenges conditioned by the social and political environment of a given country. Any country or a region where you can find an Armenian community has a peculiar social and political environment. In some countries this environment brings forward challenges to the security of the Armenian communities. In the Middle East among these challenges are hatred towards Armenians (Turkey), Islamic radicalism (Iraq, Iran, etc), terrorism (Iraq, Palestine, etc), civil wars (Lebanon), Arab-Israeli wars (Syria, Lebanon, Israel, etc), domestic political collisions (Egypt, Syria, etc). Or, for example, Armenian community in Russia in post-Soviet period faced such serious challenged conditioned by the social and political environment of the country as domestic political collisions and instability, terrorism, chauvinism, etc.

Amid challenges to the security of the Armenian communities separation (including separation on the confessional grounds) is impermissible. Splitting of the potential of the Armeniancy will make it even more vulnerable to various threats. Just the opposite facing such threats demands consolidation of the nationwide efforts which also implies cooperation between Armenian Apostolic, Catholic and Evangelical communities.

Struggle for the solution of the nationwide issues (international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Artsakh issue, etc.). Joint struggle for setting the nationwide issues is the best ground for the cooperation between different segments of the Armeniancy. The issues which are referred to most frequently are the Artsakh issue and recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. These two issues, which are playing a consolidating role especially among the Armenians of Diaspora, have even turned into the components of the national identity.

Thus, one of the factors consolidating different confessional segments of the Armenian Diaspora and setting cooperation between them is a joint struggle for the solution of the nationwide issues such as Artsakh issue, recognition and condemnation of the Genocide, etc., because these are the issues which are common for all the strata of Armeniancy (social, religious-confessional, etc.).

So, the high level of the national self-consciousness, promotion of the ideas of common Christian faith, secularism, as well as struggle for preservation of the Armenian language and culture, facing challenges conditioned by the social and political environment of a given country, struggle for the solution of the nationwide issues are the theoretical-ideological and practical preconditions which provide peace and cooperation between different confessional communities of the Armenian Diaspora.

1For more detail see: Ա.Սիմավորյան, Վ.Հովյան, Կրոնական հանդուրժողականությունը արդի հասարակությունում, Գլոբուս Ազգային անվտանգություն, թիվ 1, 2011, p. 29։

2Կ.Ատանալեան, Յուշարձան հայ աւետարանականաց եւ աւետարանական եկեղեցւոյ, Ֆրեզնո, 1952թ., p. 172։

3Րաֆֆի, Ի՞նչ կապ կա մեր և Տաճկաստանի հայերի մեջ, Երկերի ժողովածու, հ. 11, Երևան, 1991, p. 292։

4Ա.Սիմավորյան, Վ.Հովյան, mentioned work, p. 27-28։

5Կ.Ատանալեան, mentioned work, p. 180։

6Ա.Փաշայան, Դամասկոսի հայ համայնքը. ներկան և հեռանկարը, «Նորավանք» ԳԿՀ տեղեկագիր, թիվ 23, 2008, p. 33, 34։

7Կ.Ատանալեան, mentioned work, p. 172։

8Յակոբ Չոլաքեան, Անտիոքի մերձակայ Ռուճի հովիտի հայերը, Անթիլիաս, 2006, p. 151։

9Րաֆֆի, Ի՞նչ վերանորոգություններ պետք են Տաճկական Հայաստանին, Երկերի ժողովածու, հ.11, Երևան, 1991թ., p. 57։

10Յակոբ Չոլաքեան, Քեսապ, Ա. հատոր (տեղագրութիւն, բնակավայրեր, բնակչութիւն, պատմութիւն, տնտեսութիւն), Հալէպ, 1995, էջ 79-80։

11Ա.Փաշայան, mentioned work., p. 22։

12Ա.Սիմավորյան, Ջավախահայության դավանանքային վիճակի ուսումնասիրություն, Ա.Սիմավորյան, Վ.Հովյան, Ջավախահայության որոշ հիմնախնդիրներ. ջավախահայության դավանանքային և տեղեկատվական վիճակի ուսումնասիրություն, Ե., 2009., p. 5։

13Յ.Չոլաքեան, Անտիոքի մերձակայ Ռուճի հովիտի հայերը, Անթիլիաս, 2006թ., p. 151։

“Globus” analytical journal, #8, 2012

Return
Another materials of author